Rescue dogs join teams searching for Cessna plane in Isabela forests | Inquirer News
STILL NO TRACE OF AIRCRAFT AFTER 3 WEEKS

Rescue dogs join teams searching for Cessna plane in Isabela forests

/ 05:00 AM February 16, 2023
Sniffer dogs handled by a rescue team from the provinces of Cavite and Batangas will help in the search for the Cessna plane that went missing on Jan. 24 in the forests of Isabela

HELP ON ITS WAY | Sniffer dogs handled by a rescue team from the provinces of Cavite and Batangas will help in the search for the Cessna plane that went missing on Jan. 24 in the forests of Isabela. —MDRRMO-DIVILACAN PHOTO

CITY OF CAUAYAN, Isabela, Philippines —Six search and rescue dogs have joined ground teams to help locate a missing Cessna plane, which was believed to have crashed in the forests of Divilacan town in Isabela province more than three weeks ago.

The six-seat Gen AV Cessna 206 went off radar on Jan. 24 while heading to Maconacon town, some 60 kilometers from the Cauayan Domestic Airport, where it took off at 2:16 p.m. It was carrying six people, including the pilot, when it disappeared.

ADVERTISEMENT

In an interview on Wednesday, Constante Foronda, head of the Isabela provincial disaster risk reduction and management office, said 12 members of a rescue team from Cavite and Batangas provinces would handle the sniffer dogs in scouring the Sierra Madre mountain ranges, where operations had been focused since the search was launched.

On Monday, Anna May Kamatoy, mother of two of the five plane passengers, brought some of the used clothes of her children so that the sniffer dogs could pick up their scent.

FEATURED STORIES

Foronda said there was still no sighting of the plane or its six passengers during the previous search operations, which were halted several times due to the heavy rains, thick clouds, swollen rivers and slippery trails of the Sierra Madre.

“We are hoping that clouds will clear up for another round of aerial search,” Foronda said.

He said the rescue teams, composed of policemen, soldiers and volunteers, were still trying to determine the location of a possible crash site after they failed to find debris in several areas that they identified.

Getting sick

Some members of the search team also fell ill due to the rough terrain and the bad weather.

The search teams used to track the forests of Sapinit village in Divilacan after a long-range drone detected a “white object” in the area on Jan. 26.

A farmer also reported seeing a plane likely crashing in the area around the time the aircraft went missing.

The search site at Sapinit was 10 kilometers from the cell site where the last mobile phone signal from one of the passengers was logged. No wreckage, however, was found in the area.

—VILLAMOR VISAYA JR.
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

Read Next
MOST READ
Don't miss out on the latest news and information.

Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.

TAGS: missing Cessna plane, rescue dogs
For feedback, complaints, or inquiries, contact us.
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

News that matters

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.



© Copyright 1997-2023 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. To find out more, please click this link.